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Emillie's World

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TETRAS

NEON TETRA CARDINAL TETRA FLAME TETRA

HEAD & TAIL LIGHT TETRA BLOODFINS GLOWLIGHT TETRA

CYPRINIDS
Most of the Cyprinids fall into the category of "egg-scatterer" as far as spawning is
concerned. In simple terms these species of fishes have no preference as to where their
eggs are laid. Cyprinids scatter their eggs and let them lie where they fall.

ZEBRA DANIO WHITE CLOUD TIGER BARB

CHERRY BARB CHECKER BARB

ANABANTOIDS
These types of fishes are also known as labyrinthfishes. These unique fishes have a special
respiratory organ that enables them to extract oxygen from the air. There are several species
that make excellent community tank occupants. Many anabantoids build bubblenests
at the aquarium surface. The male in most cases will build the nest and will single-handedly
guard the young.

BETTA DWARF GOURAMI PEARL GOURAMI

BLUE GOURAMI KISSING GOURAMI

CICHLIDS
When a beginning aquarium hobbyist hears the term cichlid the word that immediately
comes to mind is trouble. Over the years the cichlids have acquired a bad reputation
among amateurs because the've been known to dig up the aquarium, damage plants,
and fight among themselves and other species. Contrary to popular belief most of these
problems can be solved by simply setting up suitable living quarters and learning more
about their natural habitat and general needs. Therefore, I won't come to a hasty conclusion
and simply dismiss them as unsuitable for the first aquarium, but will describe some
species that are popular and nonetheless often kept successfully in the hobby.
ANGELFISH JACK DEMPSEY

OSCAR BLUE ZEBRA AURATUS

CATFISHES
Most beginners' tanks are incomplete without some type of catfish. There are many
different families of catfishes available for the home aquarium.

CORYDORAS SPECIES SUCKERMOUTH CATFISHES

Neon Tetra (Paracheirodon innesi)
SIZE: Up to 1 1/4 inches
TEMPERATURE: 73-77 degrees F
This fish prefers middle and lower water layers.
The Neon Tetra is a beautiful fish with an intense fluorescent blue stripe, and with red
and white throughout the body. It's peaceful and an attractive asses to any community
aquarium. They are similar to other tetras in that their intense coloration becomes
more dominant when kept in a school of a dozen or more. The neon will accept most flake
and frozen foods and especially prefer an occasional treat of live brine shrimp or daphnia.
One vital consideration when choosing these fishes is that they will often become the dinner
of a larger species capable of swallowing them. Any fish that appears large enough for
such a threat should be avoided in the Neon aquarium.

Cardinal Tetra (Paracheirodon axelrodi)
SIZE: Up to 1 1/2 inches
TEMPERATURE: 73-77 degrees F
This fish prefers middle and lower water layers.
The Cardinal Tetra is easily confused with the Neon tetra for obvious reasons, they
look so much alike. With only minor differences in coloration the Cardinal Tetra
and Neon Tetra are almost exactly alike. The difference being that the Cardinal
has more red and more blue coloration and grows slightly larger, The Cardinal, like the
Neon, will tolerate several tank companions and is an excellent community fish.
An aquarium with minimal lighting and soft slightly acidic water works best. The
Cardinal is not a fussy eater and will accept flake, frozen and live foods. Cardinals
are similar in that a minimum of six of them should be placed in the aquarium.
If your searching for that extra boost in aquarium color then the Neon and Cardinal
tetra are fantastic chouces especially when placed in a dark graveled tank or
situated in front or a dark background.

Flame Tetra (Hyphessobrycon flammeus)
SIZE: Up to 1 1/2 inches, female a little larger
TEMPERATURE: 75-78 degrees F
This fish prefers middle and lower water layers.
The Flame Tetra is a very beautiful fish from Rio de Janeiro in South America. They
are incredibly active and are not at all shy, and actually prefer being out in the open
in small schools exhibiting themselves. A balanced diet ensures maximum growth. A
combination of flake, frozen, and live foods of various types are always eagerly
accepted. Spawning the Flame Tetra is strongly recommended for any curious
hobbyist. It's easily accomplished and the rewards of creating your first newly born
fish are delightful. Spawning will take place on any fine leaved plants provided. Two
plants that are popular choices are "Myriophylum" and "Cabomba". Several eggs are
released by the female and hatching occurs in two or three days. Once the fry begin to
swim they may be fed infurosia. There are also great fry foods available in pet stores.
It usually takes 6-8 months for them to reach their full growth.

Head & Tail Light Tetra (Hemigrammus ocellifer)
SIZE: Up to 2 inches
TEMPERATURE: 76-78 degrees F
This fish swims at all levels of the tank.
Head & Tail Lights are very tranquil and hardy fish. They are easy to sex as the males
have longer and more slender bodies and a unique streak which runs across their
anal fin. Although almost all types of flake foods are taken, an additional feeding of
frozen and live foods are more beneficial. In order to fully appreciate the reason this tetra
received its common name, fluorescent lighting will show off their gleaming spots
located on top of the eye and at the base of their tails. Breeding the Head & Tail Light
is not difficult as long as an aquarium in the 10-20 gallon range is provided. Spawning
occurs in much the same way for the Flame Tetra.

Bloodfins (Ahyocharax anisitsi)
SIZE: Up to 2 inches
TEMPERATURE: 76-80 degrees F
This fish prefers to swim at upper water layers.
The Bloodfin is active, but peaceful towards other tank occupants. This fish is happiest
when kept in schools. Bloodfins are somewhat flexible as far as water temperature,
but their brilliant red coloration will show up better in a warm, well lit tank. Bloodfins will
quickly dart about the aquarium in search for food. They are not picky eaters and almost
all commercially prepared foods are accepted. Breeding the Bloodfin can be achieved
with little difficulty but does require some preparation. A standard 10 gallon aquarium will
work, with some standard sized marbles placed on the aquarium bottom are helpful. Since
the eggs of the Bloodfin will not stick to plants or the aquarium glass, they can safely
fall on the marble bedding provided. The pair can then be removed and the small eggs
will hatch in 30-36 hours.

Glowlight Tetra (Hemigrammus erythrozonus)
SIZE: Up to 1 3/4 inches, female larger
TEMPERATURE: 74-78 degrees F
This fish prefers a well planted tank, but with some open water for swimming. Primarily a
middle layer swimmer. The line along the body becomes brighter with age.
This is another popular Tetra species that can't be fully appreciated unless displayed
under correct aquarium lighting. A dark, decorated aquarium that is well planted or has lots
of plastic plants for them to hide in will usually do the trick. It's safe to say that the Glowlight Tetra
is one of the most peaceful of all the many tetras in today's aquarium hobby. Glowlights
like many other tetras are active swimmers and will occasionally exit the tank's surface. Therefore,
a covered aquarium is strongly recommended. Aquarium water temperatures raised to around
80 degrees F or slightly above will usually trigger spawning after 24 hours. During the spawning
porcess semi-adhesive eggs are laid on the thick bunches of plants. Most fry will hatch
within three days and will eagerly eat live foods.

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Zebra Danio (Brachydanio rerio)
SIZE: 2 inches, females larger
TEMPERATURE: 68-78 degrees F
The Zebra Danio is probably the most popular egglaying fish. This fish is primarily an
upper tank swimmer. A community aquarium that's clean and well aerated is usually
all that is needed in successfully keping these fish. This small, active schooling fish
accepts almost all types of aquarium foods. Breeding is also very simple and requires
minimal prepartation. A breeding pair of Zebra Danio's will scatter non-adhesive eggs
in either thick bunches of plants or over marbles.

White Cloud (Tanichthys albonubes)
SIZE: Up to 1 1/2 inches
TEMPERATURE: 65-85 degrees F
The White cloud is one of the most flexible and easy to care for of all aquarium fishes.
From a technical standpoint they are not really tropical fish. They actually prefer
a cool aquarium, but are capable of living in warmer water temperatures if need be.
They have a pleasant disposition and work well in most community tanks. They may
be fed a variety of dry and frozen foods. They are one of the easiest aquarium fish
to spawn. They should be conditioned on a diet that consists of live foods and
shortly thereafter will spawn and produce fry. The fry of these fish can easily be
confused with fry of Cardinals or Neons because of their great similarity in color. The
fry may be fed newly hatched brine shrimp until they're old enough to ear other
popular fish foods.

Tiger Barb (Capoeta tetrazona)
SIZE: Up to 2 inches, females larger
TEMPERATURE: 70-85 degrees F
The Tiger barb is perhaps the most popular of all the barbs, being an active
swimmer in the middle layers of the aquarium. Despite the feisty antics, of this
little guy they still remain a favorite. The only drawback is that the Tiger Barb
is inclined to nip the fins of its tankmates. In most cases long finned fishes are
usually th unfortunate victims. The most popular remedy for conquering their
occasional aggressiveness involves placing at least 6 to a tank. This usually will
encourage them to playfully harass each other rather than other fishes in the tank.
They can be fed a variety of foods including flake, frozen, and live foods.

Cherry Barb (Capoeta titteya)
SIZE: 2 inches
TEMPERATURE: 73-78 degrees F
This Barb favors lower water layers for swimming. It is a peaceful and undemanding
fish that requires little preparation in setting up suitable living requirements. It's
brilliant red color is intensified during breeding and can be maintained if kept under
idea conditions. They prefer a tank that is well planted. Almost all types of aquarium
foods are accepted including flake, frozen, and live foods. A pair of Cherry Barbs that have
had sufficient time acclimating to each other can spawn without much difficulty.Vigerous
males display actively, and should be placed with 2 females at breeding time. Eggs will often
be scattered among fine-leaved plants or over the gravel bed. There may be as many
as 200 fry. They will usually hatch within 24 to 40 hours and the parents should be
removed immediatly since they will often eat their young.

Checker Barb (Capoeta oligolepis)
SIZE: 2 inches
TEMPERATURE: 74-76 degrees F
These guys are active schooling fishes with the males being more brightly colored. They
primarily prefer to swim in middle and lower water levels. Being a small, hardy, &
peaceful fish makes them an ideal fish for a community tank. Besides taking any kind
of aquarium foods available, the Checker Barb will occasionally eat lettuce and spinach
as a special delicacy. They have a special preference for greens in their diet and to
observe them eating aquarium algae is not uncommon. Distinguishing the sexes of the
Checker Barb is easy. The male is darker with a bright red-orange tinge and black
markings. Both the male and female have extremely large attractive scales in comparison
< to their overall size.

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